The New Jersey Devils may not have many obvious cracks in the roster after Sunny Mehta’s offseason work, but that doesn’t mean the lineup is finished taking shape. Injuries exposed the team’s depth badly last season, and that opened the door for a wave of NHL debuts. This year could bring another group of first-timers, with several prospects positioned to get their first taste of regular-season action.
Amadeus Lombardi looks like the cleanest bet to get in right away. Mehta sent a fourth-round pick to the Detroit Red Wings for him, and the front office has been talking him up all summer. He’s currently projected to open on the fourth line with Cody Glass and Connor Brown, and if a winger goes down, he could be the first player pushed up the lineup.
Anton Silayev is another name that could force its way into the conversation. The Devils’ 2024 first-round pick has drawn attention since the selection, and not all of it has centered on him as a player.
The debate has also involved the pick itself and the way he was handled in the KHL. Still, his skating for a defenseman of his size gives him a trait the Devils can’t ignore forever.
Even if he is not viewed as NHL-ready yet, the team may still give him a look for a game to see where he stands.
Matyas Melovsky made a strong impression at camp and didn’t look overwhelmed while skating with NHL players. He is set to begin the year as Utica’s top center and will try to build on a 26-point season.
His track record on the international stage helps his case too, after he produced 11 points for Czechia at the 2023-24 World Junior Championships. A brief call-up feels like a real possibility if his growth keeps trending upward.
Ben Steeves is a less obvious candidate, but he earned some attention in the preseason. He stood out on the ice and has a knack for drawing penalties, something coaches value from a bottom-six forward. He has plenty of competition ahead of him, but if he puts together a strong season in Utica, he could climb the depth chart and earn a late-year look.
Alexander Command is the trickiest case of the group. The Devils would have to be careful not to waste a year of his entry-level deal for no real gain, but there is still a chance he gets a game or two after his Swedish season ends. The idea would be to give the 2026 first-round pick a chance to show how he could fit long term, much like Luke Hughes did in 2023.
In Other News...
Dawson Mercer Enters A Critical Devils Season For One Big Reason
The Devils spent the offseason reshaping their forward group, and the ripple effects have landed squarely on Dawson Mercer. With additions such as Anthony Mantha and Luke Evangelista changing the depth chart, Mercer is no longer being viewed through the lens of the breakout 2022-23 season that raised expectations around him. Instead, he enters this year in the bottom six, a different kind of assignment for a player whose value once seemed to be trending steadily upward.
That shift gives Mercer a chance to prove he can still matter even without the same offensive runway. He is expected to skate with Arseny Gritsyuk and Evan Rodrigues, a lineup spot that could help stabilize his game and show the Devils he can contribute in a lesser role. If the production does not rebound, though, the questions around his long-term fit in New Jersey are only going to get louder. [Read more 🡒]
Devils Face A Costly Long Term Test As Cap Space Climbs
Rising NHL salary caps are changing the math for clubs everywhere, and the Devils are no exception. With more room across the league, New Jersey is staring at a roster picture where pending unrestricted and restricted free agents could all see their next deals climb, especially as the team weighs younger pieces against veterans who have already carved out roles in the lineup.
Cody Glass, Declan Chisholm, Jonas Seigenthaler, Anthony Mantha, Dawson Mercer and Amadeus Lombardi all fit somewhere in that conversation, whether as current contributors or players who could matter more down the road. Sunny Mehta and the front office now have to balance those rising contract expectations against the need to keep the cap flexible, which makes the next stretch of negotiations a potentially expensive test of how the Devils want this roster to look long term. [Read more 🡒]
Devils May Have One Early Problem With This Revamped Lineup
The Devils are heading into the season with a noticeably different look after a busy offseason that brought in Anthony Mantha, Luke Evangelista, Evan Rodrigues, Amadeus Lombardi, Jesper Boqvist and defenseman Declan Chisholm, while Simon Nemec and Jacob Markstrom are gone. Even with all that turnover, the bigger short-term challenge may not be talent so much as timing, because this roster is being built to sort itself out on the fly.
New Jersey also plans to use a three-goalie rotation, and every one of its four forward lines is expected to feature at least one new face. That kind of overhaul can work, but it rarely clicks instantly, and the Devils may need several weeks before the chemistry settles in and the best version of the lineup comes into focus. [Read more 🡒]